A transparent acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin (hereinafter referred to as “ABS resin”) is generally known as a resin having extremely high light transmittance and superior transparency. In addition, since ABS resin has superior impact resistance and processability and excellent mechanical properties, it is being used in electric and electronic fields, OA instrument field, general good field, construction material field, and the like. Particularly, ABS resin is mainly being used in housings for home appliances including air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and the like, housings of OA instruments such as electric and electronic appliances, facsimiles, computers, and telephones, automobile part field, toy part field, leisure article field, interior decoration field, and the like.
Meanwhile, social interest in hygiene and cleanliness has increased in recent years, and thus, a variety of antimicrobial resins have been developed to prevent disease infections caused by fungi or bacteria growing on plastic products and adverse effects thereof on the human body. Generally, antimicrobial resins are prepared by adding an antimicrobial agent to a resin. Particularly, a method of mixing a resin with an organic antimicrobial agent during processing of the resin, a method of mixing a resin with an inorganic antimicrobial agent containing a metal component having antimicrobial activity during processing of the resin, and the like are been known. Here, antibacterial performance and properties are determined according to an antimicrobial agent type and the content thereof. However, when an organic antimicrobial agent is used, an organic antimicrobial agent is easily eluted during a processing process and use thereof. Accordingly, the toxicity of the organic antimicrobial agent per se may damage the human body. In addition, since such an organic antimicrobial agent generally has poor durability, there is a problem such as short persistence of antibacterial performance. On the other hand, when an inorganic antimicrobial agent is used, transparency is decreased due to a difference in refractive index between the inorganic antimicrobial agent and a resin. Alternatively, since an antimicrobial agent is locally coagulated in a resin due to poor compatibility with the resin, antimicrobial activity of the resin is decreased and antimicrobial activity thereof is not reproduced. Accordingly, a large amount of antimicrobial agent is mixed with a resin to increase antimicrobial activity, which causes other problems such as discoloration of the resin, property decrease, and cost increase.
In connection with this, KR2004-0054985 A discloses an antimicrobial resin composition having transparency. However, in preparing the antimicrobial resin composition, inorganic particles having antimicrobial activity are not used. In the case of KR2006-0032385 A, an inorganic silver-based antimicrobial agent is used. Here, since the content of silver is limited to 90% or more, i.e., silver is essentially used at a high concentration, production costs greatly increase.